Queen of Hearts
by rubberglue
Summary: Written for an AG fest on tumblr. The title of each chapter is the prompt given. A modern AU retelling of episode 3x10: Queen of Hearts.
1. Coffee

A/N: I realise a number of people are asking about updates to Secrets. I haven't given up on that fic and I've the next chapter about 50% done so hopefully I'll be able to update before the year is over.

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The coffee was _awful_. He poured the horrid brown liquid down the sink and made a note to tell Merlin that his coffee brewing skills left much to be desired. A quick glance at the clock told him that he still had time to pop down to the coffee shop downstairs to grab some caffeine before the meeting.

The place was packed to the brim but he noticed Morgana in line and he sidled up to her.

"Queue jumper," she muttered when she noticed him.

He flashed his best smile. "My lovely sister."

"Step-sister, you mean. And stop with the grinning. It's giving me the creeps."

"The line is massive, I've a meeting with Dad in twenty minutes and you're 3 people from the front. Get me a – oof!" Someone bumped into him and he turned, a rant about watching where they look on the tip of his tongue.

"Sorry, Mr Pendragon."

Her eyes were wide, her tongue swiping her lower lip after she breathed out her apology and he was sure that over the smell of coffee, he could smell the light scent of lavender she preferred. When their eyes met, despite her brown skin, he could see her blush. He swallowed his rant and smiled at her, hoping the whole coffee shop couldn't hear the pounding of his heart. A stand of hair had escaped her bun and he clenched his hand at his side to stop himself from reaching over to push it away from her forehead.

"Guinevere," he coughed, hoping that it would disguise the crack in his voice when he said her name. But he knew Morgana was watching him curiously. He cleared his throat. "Getting coffee?"

She nodded, her eyes darting to Morgana. "Ms Le Fay."

"Gwen. Maybe in future, you can buy coffee for me in the mornings."

"No problem, Ms Le Fay."

For a while, the three of them simply stood quietly. Arthur stared at Guinevere, drinking in the sight of her. With the sprawling offices of Pendragon Holdings, Arthur never ran into her enough for his liking but he suspected that even if she worked in his office, he would still never get enough of her.

"Gwen? Iced Frappucino?"

"That's mine," Guinevere said, relieve evident in her voice. With a final nod at Morgana and him, she walked over to the collection counter. Even then, Arthur found it hard to tear his eyes away.

A sharp elbow jabbed into him. "We're next. You're paying."


	2. Oblivious

"So," Morgana was sitting on his expensive leather sofa, her long legs crossed at the ankles, resting on the table in front. "You like Gwen."

"What does this have to do with this contract?" He kept his eyes focused on the paper in front of him, not wanting Morgana to notice the flush in his cheeks. Just the mention of Guinevere's name made him remember the unexpected kiss he had shared with her in her apartment when he'd dropped by to pass Merlin something and she'd invited him to share her dinner. They had both agreed that it meant nothing, just two lonely people who happened to be thrown together on a quiet Friday night.

"Ever since we bumped into her this morning, you've been distracted. I'm your sister. You can tell me."

He stopped twirling his pen and looked up. "I've no idea what you're talking about. Can we get back to the contract?"

"Come on Arthur. Just admit it. Even a blind man can see."

"It's that obvious?" Whatever little interest he had in the contract in front of him fizzled and he pushed his chair from his desk. Part of him wanted to confess all to Morgana – it would be nice to have someone to talk to about the feelings that had been building in him. Merlin was supportive but he didn't seem to understand why Arthur couldn't simply date Guinevere out in the open. He could, of course, but it was bound to bring nothing but trouble for Guinevere and with her struggling with two jobs to put her brother through university, she didn't need more trouble on her hands.

A smirk played on Morgana's face and Arthur immediately squashed any desire to confide in her. Over the past few months, despite his efforts, a gap had grown between him and Morgana and more and more often, he'd the strange feeling that she was up to something.

"It's obvious to me, because Gwen speaks highly of you as well."

And he changed his mind again. "What does she say?"

Morgana shrugged. "You should spend more time with her. She'll like that. You know how things have been difficult for her at home."

Her smile was less than sincere, but her words got Arthur thinking. He moved to grab the contract he was working on. "Don't be foolish. Now, can we discuss this contract?"


	3. Lace

A/N: Ah thanks to the reminder from the lovely reviewer. I almost forgot about this fic. Also, I do know I have a ton of fics on-going. Sorry. :(

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She held her hair up and stared at herself in the mirror. Too professional, more suited for an interview. She let it drop to her shoulders. Too messy. Frustrated, she threw her brush onto the dresser and walked back to her bed. Both Elyan and Merlin liked the lavender dress but it seemed too fancy, too lacy for a simple picnic, not that there was anything simple about a picnic with Arthur. Her eyes moved to the white blouse and jeans she'd laid out. That was more practical, more casual and more importantly, sent the message that she hadn't actually spent the whole morning (and a little bit of last night) worrying about this picnic.

"Are you ready?" Merlin yelled through the door. "We're going to be late!"

She glanced at the lavender dress again. In for a penny, in for a pound, she told herself as she grabbed the dress off the bed.

Merlin let out a whistle when she stepped out of her room. "Nice. If I liked females, I'd be jealous of Arthur. He doesn't deserve you."

"Is my hair alright?" She tugged self-consciously at the lace along the edge of her dress.

"You could look like you spend the night in a rubbish dump and Arthur would still think you gorgeous," laughed Merlin. "Now, come on. The later you get there, the less time you have together."


	4. Picnic

Arthur adjusted the mat again. She was late and nerves made his stomach hurt. What if she changed her mind? What if she did come and he made an ass of himself and she never wanted anything to do with him again? What if she hated picnics? He should have brought her to one of those fancy restaurants he used to bring his previous girlfriends. But that would have drawn too much attention and the last thing he wanted was his father and the tabloids making life difficult for her.

Absently, he picked up a tray and used it to check his reflection, made sure he looked presentable.

Someone laughed behind him.

In surprise, he dropped the tray with a clatter as he turned. "Guinevere!"

The sun shone down on her like a light from heaven. Internally, he rolled his eyes at his ridiculous thoughts, but he couldn't stop the large grin that spread across his face. His heart was pounding at a ridiculous rate and a layer of sweat coated his palms. He only vaguely noticed Merlin leaving, his attention more on Guinevere who was gingerly walking towards him. Her smile was shy and her eyes fluttered from his to the ground. Reaching a hand out, he moved towards her.

Her hand fit in his perfectly and the feel of her soft skin under his sent a shot of desire through him. As strange as Morgana had been behaving the past few months, this idea of hers was brilliant.

Her soft laugh tickled his ear. "You bought food from Jason's."

"Merlin says it's your favourite – no, I'll set it up." Arthur helped her sit on the mat, her legs daintily tucked under her. Then he laid out the food.

"This will feed an army!"

He flushed. "I wasn't quite sure what you liked so I bought one of everything."

She laid her hand on his thigh, and Arthur forgot how to breathe. "This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."


	5. Cuddle

"You would never leave Pendragon Holdings," said Gwen, her head pillowed on his chest. How exactly they ended up in this position, with her tucked into Arthur's side, lying on the mat, talking about their dreams, she wasn't completely sure but she loved it. For a moment, she could imagine that she might have a future with him. Picking up her courage, she dragged a finger down his arm. "You love it there."

He shifted, pulling her closer to him and buried his nose in her hair. "You're probably right. I wouldn't last a day as a farmer."

"Especially with Merlin's help."

"Especially that." Gwen laughed.

"You know, Gwen, I know that your brother –"

Quickly, she placed a finger on his lips. "No Arthur. I know you mean well but I can't accept help from you. Not if, not if we want to –" She faltered, wondering if she might be presuming too much.

Her fingers soothed the frown lines that appeared on his forehead. "I don't agree with you," he said. "But I'll respect your wishes. For now."

"Thank you," she said, giving in to the sudden urge to touch his lips. The moment her fingers ran over his lips, she saw the flare of desire in his eyes. Without thinking, she propped herself up and leaned over Arthur. She felt his hand at her waist as she brought her lips to his.

His hold on her waist tightened and she deepened the kiss, enjoying the feel of his lips under hers. She felt his hand in her hair and she couldn't stifle her moan when Arthur swiped his tongue against her.

Consumed by their kiss, when the first flash went off, Gwen thought it was lightning. It was only when Arthur pushed her away and sat up that she realised that there were reporters nearby. Still dazed, both by the flashing camera lights and the kiss, she did nothing. Arthur on the other hand had stood up, cursing and yelling at the reporters.

They left eventually but the picnic was ruined. In silence, they packed up before Arthur drove her home.

"I'm sorry," he said as he pulled up in front of her apartment block. "I had a great time, before that mess with the reporters."

She nodded, still shaken by the incident. "How did they know?"

"I've no idea but when I find out who tipped them off, I am going to give them a piece of my mind. And if they work for me, then they probably won't be anymore." Arthur sucked in a breath to calm himself down. "It's probably a bad time to ask, but maybe we can do this again?"

Her first instinct was to say no. She didn't need the complication of being Arthur Pendragon's girlfriend in her life. But one look at him and her conviction disappeared. There was no denying that she had feelings, possibly very foolish feelings, for him and that despite the reporters, she'd enjoyed every moment of their picnic. Maybe she needed to take a risk.

She brushed a kiss against his cheek. "Of course."


	6. Consort

Arthur was incensed. The newspaper he'd thrown onto the ground bore a large, grainy photo of him and Guinevere lying entwined on their picnic mat in a secluded corner of the city's main park. His breath came in short, harsh bursts and his hands clenched at his sides.

"If they had focused on me, on my so-called philandering ways, I wouldn't be this infuriated," he growled at Merlin who had picked up the newspaper. "But it's all about Guinevere – her mother's past, her father's suspicious death, her brother's brush with the law. How did they even find all that out in a day?"

"I imagine google helped," said Merlin with a frown as he studied the report. "You two look close."

"Merlin! Focus." In frustration, he ran a hand through his hair. "I am going to look for Guinevere. You hold the fort here." Without waiting for an answer, he rushed out of the door to the lift. Anger and guilt bubbled in him. He should never have put Guinevere in such a position. What he was going to say to her? While he could use his name and kick up a fuss, there was nothing he could do to take back what had happened.

At the main floor of Pendragon Holdings, Guinevere stood behind the receptionist desk, a defiant look on her face despite her red eyes, as she stared down his father, who looked as angry as him, except for very different reasons.

"Father."

"I knew you would come." Uther shoved the newspaper into his chest. "Maybe you can explain this because this girl here insists that you initiated this – this picnic. Why on earth would you be interested in someone like her?"

Before Arthur could say anything, Guinevere spoke. "I don't expect someone like you to understand that."

"Father." Arthur grabbed his father, stopping him from further invading Guinevere's personal space. "I asked her out because I care about her. The picnic was foolish – it was too public. I was hoping that we can issue a –"

"You care about her? That's completely ridiculous." Uther's face reddened and he shrugged out of Arthur's hold. "Look at her background."

"Don't." Arthur's voice was low. "Don't say another word."

Uther turned his anger on Arthur. "What did you say?"

"If you want to discuss this, we will do it in private. But now, I want to speak with Guinevere. Do you really want us to make a scene here? People will forget about my relationship with Guinevere and the headlines will be about the split in the Pendragon family instead."

For a moment, Uther looked like he wanted to say something but he simply shook his head and stalked off, leaving Arthur with Guinevere and a roomful of gawking people.

"Don't you all have work to do?" He snapped, glaring at them till they went back to their workstations. Finally, he could speak with Guinevere. He looked at her, the proud tilt of her head and the red rimmed eyes, and his heart broke.

The tears she'd been holding back finally spilled when he ushered her into his office.

"Guinevere," he said hoarsely, feeling his own tears gathering. "I am so sorry."

She hurled herself into his arms and he did the only thing he knew to do, he held her tightly, letting her sob into his shoulder. Eventually, she lifted her head and gave him a shaky smile.

"I must look a mess, and oh, my mascara has stained your shirt." Her fingers brushed against his shoulder and he covered her hand with his.

"I am so sorry Guinevere. Merlin is dealing with the press and I think that suing them for invading your privacy might be a –"

Her fingers covered his lips. "You don't have to. I don't talk about my background a lot but it doesn't mean I am ashamed of it. Yes, maybe Elyan made a few bad decisions in his life, but he's in university now. And yes, my mother was an alcoholic. But none of this makes me a lesser person. I'm not happy that my private business is splashed all over the city. No one would be, but I figure it's par for course if we were together." Her voice suddenly softened and she looked away. "Of course, if you feel that I am inappropriate for you, I understand."

"No," Arthur grinned. "You could never be inappropriate for me." Slowly, he slipped his arms loosely around her waist.

"The tabloids called you the golden prince of Camelot. I'm just a receptionist who moonlights as a baker." Her voice was teasing, the tears gone from her eyes. Her fingers traced a pattern on his chest.

"If I'm prince, you can be my consort." The words were out before he could think better of them but she smiled.

"Let's not get too carried away," she whispered before pushing herself up on her toes and kissing him.


	7. Camping

"She's not with you?"

Loud drilling poured through his phone. "No! Maybe she's out. Maybe she's asleep." Merlin's voice struggled to keep above the noise.

"I went to her favourite café and bookshop. She is not at either place."

"Maybe she's in the shower and can't hear you. I have to go. Drop me a message when you find her."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Gwaine's. We're working on his kitchen. I have to go." Without a goodbye, Merlin hung up on him and Arthur stared at his phone nonplussed. Raising his fist, he knocked again on the door.

"Hey mister, whoever you're looking for clearly isn't home so can you stop it?" Arthur turned to see a clearly unhappy lady frowning at him through the slight opening of her door.

"Sorry," he muttered. Pulling up Guinevere's number again, he called for the sixth time that night, the tightness in his chest increasing with every ring he heard.

Someone shook him gently. Something trailed against his cheek. Slowly, he opened his eyes, slightly confused at why his back hurt so much. The first thing he saw was dark curls. He blinked and Guinevere's worried face came into focus.

"Arthur? Why are you sleeping in front of my door?" Her hand was on his shoulder.

"Guinevere!" He scrambled up, pulling her with him. "Are you alright?"

A frown formed on her forehead. "Are you alright? Come on, let's go in before my nosy neighbours seeing you camping out here."

"What time is it?" It was the first time he's been in her apartment and he was slightly taken aback by how run down and tiny it was. He moved his shoulders trying to ease the kink in his back.

"It's 2 am. Why are you here?"

"Why are you only coming home at 2 am?"

He watched as Guinevere shrugged off the coat she was wearing, hanging it behind the door. "I'm an adult. I can come home any time I want." There was a note of annoyance in her voice and guilt filled him.

Gently, he touched her arm so she turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I heard about my father firing you so I rushed here and then you weren't home and I couldn't find you and –" He sucked in a breath, pulling her towards him, relieved when she went willingly. "- and I was worried."

Guinevere buried her face in his neck but said nothing. He tightened his hold on her, pressing kisses into her hair. "I will talk to my father. He can't fire you just because –"

"No." She stepped out of his arms. "I admit I was upset when it happened but I'm feeling better now and I am not going back to work in Pendragon Holdings as long as your father is there."

"Ok. That's fine. I can pay for Elyan's university fees and my apartment has extra room so –" Her fingers covered his lips, the frown returning.

"I am not taking money from you!"

He wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "I have more than I need. And you –"

"No." This time, she spun away, putting a distance between them. "I am not taking money from you."

"Don't be stubborn. You rather suffer instead of letting me help you? This is as much my fault as yours."

She stared out of the window and for a worrying few minutes, said nothing. Arthur stood awkwardly in the middle of her apartment, unsure if he should push his case. As she stood, he studied her – the strength in the way she carried herself, the stubborn tilt of her chin – and wanted nothing more than to take care of her. But clearly she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

Eventually, she turned back to him. "You're right. Without my job, keeping up with all my financial commitment is close to impossible. But I don't want to just take money from you."

"You would take money from your husband." The words came out of his mouth before he could think about what he was saying.

An amused smile spread on her face and she stepped towards him. "It's been less than two weeks and you're proposing?"

"I love you Guinevere." He hadn't thought about marriage before but now that it was in his mind, it didn't seem like a bad idea at all.

Her smile got bigger. "I was thinking more along the lines of you giving me a loan. I was with Elena tonight. We have always talked about expanding our baking business and I guess this is as good a time as any. Would you settle for being my investor instead of my husband?"

"For now," he said with a grin. "We can revisit the husband idea another time. Also, if we're going to do this properly, I'll need a business plan from you. The good thing is that the person in love with you happens to be quite experienced at business plans."

She slipped easily into his arms. "I guess we'll be spending a lot of time with each other then."


	8. Dawn

Guinevere owned the most uncomfortable bed in Albion, Arthur thought as he shifted trying desperately to find a position that wouldn't end up giving him a back ache the next day. He kept his shifting to a minimum, not wanting to wake Guinevere who was sleeping soundly, her head tucked into his chest. Gently, he ran one finger across her cheek, pushing away the hair that covered her face, studying the freckles that peppered them. She made a soft noise, then buried herself further into him. That slight movement was enough to make his heart clench. Arthur had never felt this way for anybody before – this slow burn in his stomach whenever he was with her, the constant ache when she wasn't around, the strange, uncomfortable mix of joy and fear that filled his heart.

The mention of marriage earlier had been made unthinkingly but as Arthur lay in bed, watching Guinevere sleep, it dawned upon him that marriage was exactly what he wanted from this relationship.

It was with great reluctance he left Guinevere's bed the next morning. Pressing a kiss against her cheek, he left her snuggled up in the blankets. Tonight, he'd persuade her to spend the night in his bed instead.

"Gaius said you didn't spend the night at home."

Arthur looked up from his desk at his father. "Are you spying on me now?"

Unsurprisingly, Uther ignored Arthur's question. "Were you with that girl?"

"That girl," said Arthur, not bothering to hide the unhappiness in his voice, "has a name. She's Guinevere and you might want to nicer to her since you might be seeing more of her."

"You will not see her again."

"I'm 25. You can't tell me who I can or cannot see." Deliberately, he turned his attention back to his computer screen, hoping that his father would take the hint.

He didn't.

"You can have any girl you want." Uther moved closer to Arthur's desk. "Why does it have to be her? I looked her up – did you know her mother was an alcoholic and was arrested –"

"Don't." Arthur stood. "Don't say another word about Guinevere. You had no right to have her investigated. And her mother could have been a serial killer for all I care. Guinevere is a wonderful person."

"She's bewitched you!"

Over the years, Arthur had been angry at his father a lot but none of it came close to the rage he felt boiling in him now. "If you expect me to keep working in Pendragon Holdings, you will stop speaking about Guinevere like that."

Uther's face was red and the clenched jaw was a dead giveaway of his feelings. Dread pooled in Arthur's stomach but he stood firm as he realised that his father would never approve of him and Guinevere.

"You're being foolish. Give her up or I will ensure she never finds a job in this town again. You are a Pendragon. We are the leaders of this community. Your future wife should be someone who matches up to us."

"Guinevere –"

Uther raised a hand, silencing Arthur. "Don't threaten me with talk of you leaving the company. Give her up. Or life will be very difficult for her here in Camelot." Without waiting for an answer, Uther stalked out of Arthur's office.

Although it was several hours later that Arthur finally managed to get an audience with his father again, the mere sight of his father's face sent all that anger pulsing through him again.

"What do you want?" Uther took off his spectacles and rubbed his temples. For a moment, Arthur's anger faltered as he took in how much his father had aged. "Have you decided to leave that girl?"

And the anger roared to life again.

"No." He pulled out the chair opposite Uther's desk and sat down, placing his hands on the table. "I don't want to have to choose between you and Guinevere. Don't make me. You did that once with Morgana - she no longer speaks to you."

Uther's throat worked and his jaw clenched.

"I am not asking for your blessing. I am asking you not to punish Guinevere for nothing she has done. Do that and I will no longer be your son. I will leave the company and you will have to explain that to the shareholders."

"Arthur -"

"This isn't up for discussion."

For a while Uther said nothing. Then he turned back to his file. "Do whatever you want Arthur."


	9. Touch

_One year later_

A butterfly landed on her nose briefly before fluttering away and Gwen smiled. Another landed on her shoulder then moved down. It tickled and she shrugged. But the butterfly didn't fly away. Instead it made its way lower, which was strange.

"Sweetheart." This time, the butterfly was on her ear.

She opened her eyes and blinked. Hovering over her was Arthur, his fingers ghosting over her arm, his lips at her ear. "You're home."

"Mmm." He nuzzled her neck as he curled his body around her. Gwen let her eyes drift shut again, happy to bask in his touch. "How was business today?"

The pressure of his fingers increased. "Good. There was a bulk order for a birthday party next month. And there's that anniversary this weekend - things are looking good." Her words faded into a groan as Arthur's fingers moved from her arm to her stomach, lifting the shirt she wore and sneaking under. "How was your day?"

"Good," he murmured against her throat.

"Is your father still trying to get you to marry Mithian?" She regretted the words the moment she said them. Arthur stilled, then moved away, sitting up on the bed next to her. It was foolish. She knew Arthur loved her yet a little bit of her feared that he would give in to his father's demands to marry the daughter of an old family friend.

Before she could take back her question, Arthur took her hand, anguish in his eyes. "I'm sorry Guinevere. I'm sorry my father is so passive aggressive about this –"

She quickly stopped Arthur with a kiss. He'd repeated that apology many times and she didn't need to hear it again to know how sincere he was. "I know, Arthur. I know." Kissing him once more, she smiled at him. "He was almost polite the last time I bumped into him."

Arthur's response was to kiss her hard, pressing her back into the mattress as he covered her with his body. "He knows we're engaged and yet he's such a pain about it," Arthur grumbled when he finally broke the kiss.

Gwen loosened his tie then slowly unbuttoned his shirt. "Mmm, he's never going to give up until we actually get married. Moving in with you didn't stop him from his matchmaking schemes."

"He's a stubborn one. Although I can deal with his blatant matchmaking attempts. It's fairly harmless," he murmured into the hollow of Gwen's throat as his hands quickly divested her of her pyjamas top. "And he did sign off on that large order of cupcakes from you for the office party."

"True." Gwen said absent-mindedly as her hands now moved to his pants.

"He's just trying his luck," Arthur groaned, his voice wobbling as Gwen's fingers gently brushed against his length. Pushing himself up from Gwen to shrug off his shirt, Gwen took the opportunity to admire her fiancé. Her hands crept up his chest, to his neck before dragging him down for a deep kiss. Arthur chuckled against her lips, then slid one palm down her stomach, then lower.

At that point, Gwen simply gave herself up to his touch.

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_AN: Thanks for reading! _


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